1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in boat anchors and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a boat anchor for securely retaining a boat in a selected position on a body of water, and releasable for substantially precluding fouling of the anchor and facilitating release thereof from an anchoring position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common practice to secure a boat in a selected position in a body of water by dropping an anchor from the boat for engagement with the bottom or floor of the body of water. When it is desired to release the anchor from engagement with the bottom it is frequently found that the anchor is fouled by underwater debris, tree roots, or the like, and the release of the anchor becomes difficult, if not impossible. The disadvantages of such an operation will be apparent. There have been attempts to overcome this problem by the development of anti-fouling anchors, such as shown in the Illsche U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,006, Brewer Pat. No. 2,764,116; Woolsey et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,443; Miller Pat. No. 4,114,554; and the Fornasiero U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,062. The Woolsey et al. Patent disclosed a boat anchor having a spring urged link means engagable with a mandrel and releasable therefrom upon longitudinal pressure applied against a ring member for pulling the link means axially outwardly. The Brewer patent discloses an anchor retrieving means wherein the haw line is connected to both the upper and lower ends of the anchor, and is releasable from the upper end thereof when the anchor becomes fouled. When the haw line is released from the connection with the upper part of the anchor, the anchor may be backed away or pulled away from its fouled position. The Illsche patent shows an anchor releasing mechanism generally similar to that shown in the Brewer patent. These devices have certain disadvantages, however, in that they appear to be complicated and expensive in construction and somewhat difficult and inefficient in operation.